The Take

Plot Summary
Deep in the slums of Los Angeles, good-natured Felix De La Pena (John Leguizamo), a family man and armored vehicle driver, is shot in the head during a hijacking attempt gone wrong. Though his wife, Marina (Rosie Perez), offers her love and support, Felix suffers from intense physical and emotional pain following the attack. As he begins to recover, he learns he has been framed for the stick-up; distraught, Felix decides to find the real culprit himself, despite his failing health and memory.

Well, you can't fault the actors. That must mean it's the fault of the writer and director. Take is a monotonous slog through dirgeland, telling a story that seems strung out beyond all reason, with flashbacks upon flashbacks delaying interminably the underwhelming climax.
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The craziest thing happened to me at the theater today. I went to see this movie "The Take." I was expecting to see John Leguizamo etc. Instead, I saw a movie starring Minnie Diver. The character Ms. Diver played was that of a mother whose son was killed by a loser criminal, how she confronts this criminal over time and the day he is put to death. What happened to John Lequizamo???? The film I did see was a morose slice of life. On the negative side it was hard to follow because the sequence of events kept jumping around in time. To add to the confusion, sometimes the son that is with Ms. Diver's character is imaginary while in other scenes he is not. However, the viewer "gets" this about three-quarters the way through the film. Out of five stars, I give this film three.Mystified in Arcadia